Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is evaluating the GridRewards program at 3333 Broadway and The Brooklyner Apartments.
- Receive a $25 prepaid VISA debit card just for signing up using the form below.
- Your name and email address will never be shared with anyone else. It will only be used to check that you have a GridRewards account and send you the electronic prepaid debit card.
- We will use your de-identified electricity use data to study how well the GridRewards program works.
Consent for Research Participation
You are being asked to volunteer in a research study.
What is the study about?
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is doing a research study of the GridRewards mobile application for phones and tablets. We are studying how much using GridRewards changes electricity usage in your building. We are interested in the periods of high electricity demand from May 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022.
What will I be asked to do?
If you agree to participate in this study, Logical Buildings will give us your de-identified ConEdison electricity usage data and de-identified GridRewards app data. The research team will have no way to identify you from the data. There are no steps you must take beyond providing your consent and contact information. Your name and email are only collected so that PNNL can send you the thank you payment and verify your GridRewards account.
We will also send an optional survey at the end of the study to ask how well the GridRewards application worked.
What are the risks of being in this study?
We do not anticipate any risks from participating in this study.
Will participating in this study help me in any way?
You are not likely to personally benefit in any way from joining this study. But it may help people in the future. What we learn may help in the following ways:
- Understand a new approach to reduce energy costs
- Improve the electric grid
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Will I be paid?
Yes. PNNL will send you a $25.00 electronic prepaid debit card by email as a "thank you" for your participation. First, you must sign this form and then we will verify your GridRewards account. After that, we will send the electronic gift card to you via email within 30 business days. If you change your mind and decide not to be part of the study, you will not be requested to repay or return the gift card.
Who will see this information? How will you keep it private?
- We will only collect your name and email so that we can send you the thank-you payment and verify your GridRewards account.
- We will never share your name and email with anyone else.
- We will have no way to identify you from your electricity data.
- Your de-identified electricity data will be sent to us securely and stored on secure computers.
- If we share the results of the study in scientific journals, professional publications, or educational presentations, we will not include your name or anything else that could identify you.
- We may be required to share your information with the sponsor of this study. But the sponsor will not see your name or any identifying information.
- There are people who make sure the study is run in the right way. These people may see your de-identified information. They are
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Institutional Review Board
- OHRP (Office for Human Research Protections), a federal agency.
Will my information be used for anything else, including future research?
Yes, your de-identified electricity data may be used for future research. It may also be shared with other researchers. To use your data in the future, no additional informed consent will be collected. Your name and email address that is collected in order to provide you your gift card will be saved for accounting purposes only.
Who can answer my questions about the study?
If you have any questions about the study or want to withdraw from the study, please contact Tim Yoder at tim.yoder@pnnl.gov.
If you have questions about your rights as a research participant or other questions, you may contact Susan Varnum at 509-371-7299 (susan.varnum@pnnl.gov) in the Human Research Protection Program/Institutional Review Board.
By signing this document, I am saying
- I agree to be in the study.
- I know that joining this study is voluntary.
- Someone has talked with me about the information in this form and answered all of my questions.
- I authorize Logical Buildings to share my ConEdison electricity usage data and GridRewards app data with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for use in this study.
I know that
- I can stop being in the study at any time before September 30, 2022, and nothing bad will happen to me.
- I can have my data deleted from the study if I stop being in the study before September 30, 2022.
- To stop being in the study, I will contact Tim Yoder via email (tim.yoder@pnnl.gov) or gridrewards@logicalbuildings.com.
- If I stop being in the study, I will not have to return or repay the $25.
- A copy of this consent form will be sent to my email address.